As the World Falls Down
by Her sister's keeper
Summary: When Sarah has a daughter, she swore that Tanya,her little girl, would never meet the man who tried to steal her away. But Tanya,to save her mother's heart from breaking, forms a deal with Jareth- a deal she must keep, even if her world and walls fall...
1. Deep in your eyes

Sarah bent over the cradle of her newborn daughter's cradle, smoothing the fine downy tuft of black hair that refused to lay flat, causing Sarah-once Williams, but no longer- to smile. She had found her way into the nursery for the fifth time this night, not harkened by her little girl's screams, not by the fear that the thunder and lightening had wakened her child- though she would not have minded it. She had gotten better with children after the incident with Toby fifteen years before- she knew she had to to behold this day. Yes, she had looked forward to going through college after her trip to the Underground; yes, she had looked forward to marrying. But this- this little bundle in the bassinet- was what she had anxiously been waiting for. Another chance to not wish a precious babe away.

She just had to glance at her tiny, three month old, enchantment's face again, pride swelling up inside of her. Her little Tanya- her little fairy queen. Born on All Hallow's Eve to her and her husband, a normal human man,- not at all like the man who had first offered her the world, Jareth... was not at all the man she had truly fell in love with, not being infatuated with- she was beautiful. Creamy skin of her mother, hair raven black like both of her parents, dimples in both her cheeks like her father, and-oddly enough- two different colored eyes, one a bright clear blue like the sky on a clear day, and the other a bright hazel. If Sarah hadn't known better, she would've proclaimed her child a changeling- she didn't seem real; she seemed almost...otherworldly. There had been instances that little Tanya had looked at her parents with such a look that she seemed full grown, or a sprite, so mischievous her eyes had glinted.

But now, her little eyes were closed, her hands curled in tiny fists as she slept,plump face smooth and content, knowing that nothing could happen to her; she was safe from everything that went bump in the dark, vampires, monsters and werewolves included.

It's sad that she wasn't safe from goblins.

Sarah's ears perked up as she heard a sharp tapping on glass, her sharp hearing- brought to her by ways of having a child and being overprotective- pointing her in the direction of the French doors that opened onto the nursery's balcony of her two story home, tucked away in the countryside of Pennsylvania, miles away from her hometown. She threw a glance over her shoulder, reluctant to leave her child alone in her crib if there was someone there. Her face- though white as cream already- drained any and all color as she saw a bird the same color as her shocked visage.

An owl.

Not some average owl, not some stupid idiotic owl that happened to be blown into the window by the violent storm- no. This owl had a purpose for rapping at the glass panes. Sarah had goosebumps climbing her arms, had shivers curling up her spine as she remembered a time like this, but she knew- she knew- that she had not wished. She was too old to make wishes- or for them to come true at least.

Still, that didn't stop her as she swaddled her child in blankets and picked her up, holding her tightly to her chest, knowing that it was a matter of time before the doors flew opened, that magic dust would descend upon the room as a powerful, ruthless monarch entered uninvited. She had her eyes closed, jaw clenched, wishing over and over in vain.

_I wish you would go away!_

Sarah bit back a scream as the doors banged open and rain poured into the room in drops, not looking back as she felt the wind hitting her cheek, heard a flutter of feathers, knew her worse nightmare was coming true.

He had returned.

Sarah slowly turned, facing her age old enemy, facing the man who once loved her- that she once feared- as she held Tanya a little closer. She thanked God that her husband wasn't home- she had told her husband about her adventures to the Labyrinth, but under the pretense that it was for a novel- novels that she had published and was famous for. She now regarded the man who had inspired the written adventures coldly, not at all charmed by the perfect Fae man who stood in all of his glory before her, much like on that fateful night they had met.

"Jareth." She bit the word savagely, spitting it forth with as much contempt as one would when dealing with Satan himself. The Goblin King, blond hair in usual but breathtaking discord, face as young as ever, smirked as he bowed mockingly. "Hello Sarah."His features hardened as he looked at the ring that glinted on her left finger, softening only when he saw the infant in Sarah's arms. "Little Tanya." He addressed the babe as if they had met before, Sarah gasping as Tanya opened her eyes in response to Jareth's greeting, the baby's mother realizing why she had thought the babe to be otherworldly- her eyes were mismatched like the Sidhe liege.

"Sarah." Jareth's voice took affect on Sarah after a few moments he spoke her name, the girl-no, woman- looking up at him. "Give me the child."

His features and tone showed that he was deadly serious- wouldn't take no for an answer. Sarah held Tanya closer, making the girl child cry out in surprise and slight pain at how her mother was holding her so. "She belongs to me, Jareth. You have no power over her- like you have no power over me."

Jareth scoffed at Sarah's words, knowing that she would've responded the way she had; still, he had a job to do. "That child is as much as your's as she is mine- she belongs to no one." "Excuse me?" Sarah looked at him, angrily taken aback as she looked at Jareth, trying to comprehend his words. They made no sense; this child, this being in her arms, was her daughter. Flesh from her flesh. Soul from her soul. Or so she thought... Her eyes snapped to Jareth's hand as he conjured a smooth ball of glass, perhaps the same glass orb that he had tempted her with so many years before. He did not offer it to her this time; rather, he threw it to the floor of the nursery. Sarah screamed, shielding Tanya, waiting for the glass to fly as it shattered. Instead, flecks of light flew forth, and Sarah slowly, hypnotized almost, looked at the pool of iridescent blaze.

Jareth glared at her from the other side of the pool, pointing to the glow as his voice gained a monotone that was often heard from bored students as they read in history class.

"Since the creation of magic and time, there has been the occasion where certain magical aspects have either been exploited or thrown out of their natural state. A falling star, an enchanted spring... whatever it may be, magic finds it way into the mortal realm. The Sidhe have to come after it in that case. Most of the time we find it before it wrecks havoc. However, there has been cases where someone finds the magic- or the magic becomes attached to a person."

He looked pointedly at Sarah, who's cheeks had grown hot as she gazed at the light, seeing herself at fifeteen as she ran the labyrinth, her mouth dropping open as Jareth continued his explanation. "In this case, the magic attached itself to you, and when you wished for this child- yes Sarah, you wished a child here. It's not that surprising.- the magic obeyed your will and conjured the child up in your womb. That child belongs to the sidhe."

He reached over to take the child, but Sarah cowered, tears biting at her eyes, threatening to spill over as Jareth pried her fingers from Tanya. She was falling to her knees, hands clasped, reduced to begging, an option she would've scoffed at years ago. But now- now as she gazed at the babe in his arms- she knew she had to have the child, would die without her. "Jareth; Jareth, please. Please, Jareth, give her to me. My god, give her to me!" Tanya whimpered as Sarah started to sob, looking ready to tear her hair out in anguish as Jareth stood, unmoved, before her. "I wished her here- I didn't wish her away. You have no power over my wishes! You have no power over her! Give her to me! Please, Jareth; if not for my sake, then for her's!"

Jareth glanced at Sarah as she fell at his feet, face bowed in prostrate before him, and then at the child in his arms. Tanya looked up at him, making his cold heart give a violent squeeze as she looked into his eyes, somehow casting an image into his head, an image well beyond her years. Jareth felt himself get temporarily lost within the vision she presented him, a sacrifice on her part- he saw that was what it was, a sacrifice, as she scrunched her face in the way infants do, but her face carried across her meaning perfectly- and he heaved a sigh as he agreed with her on the vision, looking into her diversely colored eyes and sending one back to little Tanya, something that made her scrunch her face up more in distaste. If she could speak, she'd have sighed instead; indeed, she did the baby equivilant- she whined. Jareth gave her a stern look before crossing the room, ignoring Sarah as he placed Tanya back in her cradle. They exchanged another look, and Tanya let her eyes flutter to a close as she was satisfied with the negotations she had arranged through magic.

Jareth, standing with his back to Sarah, still staring at the cradle, muttered, "She is your's then." As Sarah let out a sigh of gratitude, he added, "But that will never always be." "What do you mean?" "When she reaches the age of consent- sixteen, I believe it is?- she will be the sidhe's- she will be mine. She will be my slave for every year she spends on the aboveground- she has agreed to it." Sarah casted a wide eye gasping look at the crib, but Tanya didn't stir as she sucked her fist.

Jareth turned to make his exit, pausing as Sarah asked him, shaking, "You- you will treat her well, won't you?" Jareth bit back a chuckle as he glanced over his shoulder at Sarah. "Like a princess- like a queen, actually." And with a flittering of his cape as they transformed into feathers, he flew into the night, thinking deeply on the vision he had sent to little Tanya; actually, on both visions that had been exchanged.

Her vision- his throne room (how she knew every detail of it, he credited to magic- for what else could it be?) filled with goblins and his sidhe nobles, his court and his subjects, as usual. The one thing that stood out was the youth who stood beside his throne as he lounged, her long black hair held back by gold ribbons, her simple white shift fitting her perfectly, her mismatched eyes closed as she waited to be called upon, be it to just to fetch him a drink, or to recite a poem for his entertainment; she was waiting for his commands as he sat there, riding crop in hand, poet shirt arranged perfectly- a picture perfect scene as she leaned in and whispered some witty remark or other into his ear.

His countering vision- in the chapel of the castle, standing at the alter was him, fully suited properly for the glorious occasion that awaited him as lutes and pipes played, his subjects all standing in attendence. The great oak doors of the sanctuary now swung forth to reveal a blushing bride, figure obscured in white to the point you could only truly see her black hair, elaborately arranged and her mismatched eyes as she looked through her veil. He watched her take hesitant steps towards the alter, knowing that his subjects were finally appeased and more at ease now that he was settling down and thinking of an heir.

He knew that Tanya was only a child- a babe, really- but he knew how quickly time passed. Besides, he had all the time in the world. All the time in the world.


	2. Such a fooled heart

"Mama, Mama, help me get home..." is by Lauren Oliver, revised only slightly by myself to suit the story.

* * *

><p>Sarah glanced up from the manuscript in front of her as she heard the front door slam, knowing that her pubescent daughter was returning home from the local theater. The aged Sarah pushed back her still dark strands of hair from her face, glancing at her laptop screen and using it for a mirror, finding it hard to believe that fifteen years had passed since her daughter was born. Ah, excuse her- fifteen years, 363 days and seventeen hours since her daughter was born. Sarah Williams- once again Williams, as she had divorced her husband when Tanya was eight- felt herself tersely smile as she thought of how she had the countdown all figured out by now- all figured out for all the wrong reasons. She pushed her bangs back as she leaned on her elbows, feeling defeated.<p>

She was a strong woman- she had to be to get her books published in the first place, to leave her husband and to take care of a child that was nothing like the parenting books could ever suggest. She had become strong when she had met Jareth the first time- but that last meeting had left her weak and unable to recover. Worse yet, to know that it had been Tanya to come up with the compromise. Sarah had asked Tanya if it had been her idea, not a figment of thought Jareth induced within her- Tanya had only to give her a sad look for Sarah to know that she had hoped to much for it to have been Jareth. But now, as she heard a heavy book bag clunk to the kitchen floor, a coat being dumped on a hanger, and keys clashing together as they were dropped on the dining room table, she knew that the "changeling", as most would call Tanya in the fae realm, was on her way to the study, flitting like a creature of magic like she was, minus the wings most would be accustomed to.

Tanya Williams stormed into her mother's office, fuming. Not because of the fact that theater practice had gone amiss- hardly. It went extraordinarily well. A little _too _well. Plopping in her seat in the corner of the room, she crossed her arms as well as her legs like a practiced young lady, huffing, "He did it again!" By "he" both mother and daughter only knew too well who she was refering to. "I may be his in a day or so, but until then, he can stay out of my life!" Tanya tossed her head back, black hair swishing as she shook her head. Sarah glanced at her, marveling at how Tanya, despite being part fae (in the magic sense,at least) she looked almost exactly like herself when she was fifteen. The only difference that stood out was Tanya's mismatched eyes.

Sarah sighed and looked at Tanya in warning, "Tanya Elizabeth..." "I know, I know. 'Don't talk about pact- we need to cherish the time we have as a family.'" Tanya imitated her mother perfectly, looking even more like a pixie as her eyes glinted with devious desire. She smirked as she threw her hand upon her forehead in dramatic anxiety, collapsing over the chair's arms. "Oh, the horror of it! The sheer horror! Going to the Underground and serving the Goblin King! Oh, there is no way out!" She paused and glanced at her mother, who looked at her in exsperated amusement. "Unless...I could wish."

_Deep in the Underground..._

Jareth's head snapped to attention when he heard almost a murmur in his ears. He had been drifting off to sleep as he lounged on his throne, bored to death by the listlessness of his court on this particular day- there was little to no bustle going on within the castle, despite arrangements needing to be made for an impending arrival. Glancing at the goblins that now surronded his throne in earnest, he could tell by their excited hissing and whispering that they had heard the murmur too. The Goblin King did nothing to silence them- he knew that if there was another whisper, they would hear it as well. The words now floated to them, clear as bells, the speaker's voice being familiar to Jareth, so familiar that he didn't need his glass looking orb to know who was saying such brazen words. _"It's not as if he's actually listening, Mother! It's not as if he actually *cares* about the stupid pact- he probably sees it as some hilarious way to make you squirm. If I could just ...*wish*, maybe... just maybe..." _Jareth allowed his mouth's corners to pull up into a smirk. "Such an arrogant girl..." He tutted as the goblins surrounding him snickered.

_Back Aboveground..._

Sarah let out a gasp, bolting from her seat and crushing her hand upon her cheeky daughter's mouth. "Do you know how seriously wishes are taken? Tanya, _please_ can you just..." The older Williams woman turned away, biting her lip from tears that wished to spill in front of her daughter. Tanya, never seeing her mother look this terrified, numbly nodded and mumbled against her mother's palm, "I was only joking..." She watched her mother sigh and turn back to her desk, a silver streak of hair catching the light. "Mama...?" Tanya looked at her matriarch curiously, wondering when that strand of hair had appeared before realizing that her mother was getting older, and did have a lot of stress... Going through the Underground when she was only fifteen, having to crank out numerous novels, divorcing her only love, and having a child endowed with magic and mischief... Surely, though, it wasn't that great... Tanya closed her mouth when she realized that she was wrong, and that perhaps she was more of a burden then she thought.

Getting up, she glanced back at her mother, making her way to the door as she muttered, "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back by supper, 'k?" "Tanya..." Sarah looked up at her daughter, sighing as the teenager slammed the door as she brooded. Ms. Williams sighed, pulling back her hair and staring aimlessly at the wall in front of her, knowing that when Tanya was like this, she always disappeared for a few hours. To do what, Sarah wasn't sure, but she did know that it had something to do with a fairy circle, something that her little pixie had babbled about since she was able to. She smiled to herself as she thought about it a tad bit more before having a moment of inspiration as she jotted down the detail, hoping to finish the novel in time for Tanya to see it before she was gone forever.

Meanwhile, the younger counterpart of Sarah was trekking through the forest that stood at the edge of the William's backyard, biting the inside of her mouth angrily. She hated how she could hurt her mother in the way of growing older- hated Jareth for ever interfering- hated herself for being a changeling. She loathed what she was- neither human nor fairy- she didn't belong anywhere. She felt tears sting her eyes but she ignored them, telling herself that this was no time to cry- she'd have plenty of time to cry in at least twenty-four hours. Tanya disliked crying in the first place and yet she was not about to deny the small comfort it provided- it showed that she was more human than fae.

Stepping into a worn path, she knew that she was close. So close to the place she had raised herself in, this little girl of mixed blood. She had been nourished by human knowledge, blessed with magic- she only needed open space, and she would flourish. She had found the perfect place for that, had discovered the secret to bridging the gap that had been placed between the aboveground and the underground, bridging her little place in the world between these two places perfectly. All she had to do was collect a handful of stones, say the right words, and she would find herself in a world where fairies and humans truly did coexist. Perhaps she was imagining the whole thing, but since she remembered her curse and the promise she gave to a man who was never to be crossed, this was her only comfort. She felt a tear slip down her cheek as she felt her heart lacerating. Tanya bit her lip, took a deep breath and whispered to the air, "I wish I was somewhere I couldn't hurt anyone I loved."

She looked up as she heard a crack of thunder, wondering how it could be so clear one minute and then so dark the next as the sky began to gray from the clouds moving in. Glancing behind her, she considered going back home, but as a lightening flashed, she felt a tug towards the stone circle she had laid out the last time she was in the woods. Not turning back, she plunged deeper into the woods, reciting to herself a chant that she remembered hearing or reading somewhere, scared to death at what she was doing, feeling as if she wasn't the one controlling her feet.

"_Mama, Mama, help me get home,I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own." _Tanya found herself singing it now, now as she heard a deep, guttural growl, something that made her quicken her pace. "_I found me a werewolf, a nasty old mutt-It showed me its teeth and went straight for my gut." _

Below her feet was goblins, shrieking with delight as they raced to the epicenter of the magic spot the girl had found, nearly ignoring their king as he trailed along behind them, truimphant smirk upon his face. He knew that the child would wish eventually; what better time then now, she had probably reasoned. Alas (for her anyways!) she had wished for the wrong thing. The sidhe sniggered before conjuring himself into his favorite animal, a snowy white owl, before taking wing, wishing to be there himself to whisk her away.

Tanya now was sprinting as she saw shadows cast themselves on tree limbs, wind howling around her as she dodged rocks that reminded her of teeth. What was the next verse to that song? She had to wonder. "_Mama, Mama, help me get home,I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own.I was stopped by a vampire, a rotting old wreck-It showed me its teeth and went straight for my neck."_

Jareth could see her now- her with her soaked ebony tresses, her pale skin, and her terrified mismatched eyes that were wide as she ran to what she thought would be safety. She didn't look up to see him; it was as if she knew he was there, as if she was resigned to the mistake she had made. She knew there was no turning back as she continued to sprint, her feet barely touching the ground as she nearly flew as he did now.

Tanya felt herself gasping; she was exhausted. But she now saw the clearing up ahead; saw the stones she had laid down as she whispered incantations; saw the circle of trees that had kept her safe so many times before. She had all but collapsed in the sanctity of the large oak trees when there was a crack of light surronding her; she felt her limbs tingle and her eyes to burn, her thoughts to slow, her heart to nearly burst by the emotion she felt. She knew she hadn't been struck by a lightning bolt- but oh, how she wished that she had as she felt herself grow weaker than she ever had before; experienced a dizzyness that made her feel intoxicated and almost out of control. She wasn't in control. No, of course not- the figure who now stood over her smugly was. Her vision was starting to swim and blur; she knew she would only be on this sphere of existance while she was awake. Gathering up the last of her breath, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, a shriek that was reminiscent to that of a banshee. Jareth's blood ran cold as he listened to the piercing yell, not understanding why she had done so when she should have valued the remaining energy to beg to stay.

Then he saw in his mind's eye Sarah start up from her work as she heard the scream; he saw that she understood what the scream meant, knew that her mother's instinct told her everything she needed to know. It didn't stop her from throwing herself onto the floor in a scream not dissimilar to her daughter's, sobbing in helplessness and sorrow. Jareth glanced at the girl who had caused his labyrinth's former champion to crumple and fall into weakness; he was shocked to see her lips still moving, and her eyes, as if petrified, were wide open, clear blue and green pools of sorrow revealing themselves to Jareth. He strained to hear her mumurs as he watched her eyes finally flutter close.

_"Mama, Mama, put me to bed,_

_I won't make it home, I'm already half-dead._

_I met a goblin, and fell for his art,_

_He showed me his smile and went straight for my heart." _

He smiled at her grimly, and upon gathering her in his arms, her inert and limp physique showing her subconscious submission, he spirited her away.


	3. In search of new dreams

_"I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days; _

_I fled Him, down the arches of the years; _

_I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways _

_Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears _

_I hid from Him, and under running laughter. _

_Up vistaed hopes I sped; _

_And shot, precipitated, _

_Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears, _

_From those strong Feet that followed, followed after."_

_-The Hound of Heaven By Francis Thompson _

Tanya felt herself running, sprinting, hurling herself towards some unknown finishline, feeling desperate. She couldn't outrun him; she had tried so many times before, before in her dreams. Since she was just a babe, she would close her eyes and he would conjure himself before her, smiling roguishly, offering her a crown, a beautiful little silver diadem, which in her younger days, she would accept with an almost smile.

Jareth sat upon his throne, watching Tanya's dream occur as if unfolded in his crystal- she was safely tucked away in the master bedroom upstairs, up in the very top tower of his castle. He had handpicked that room for her, it's high ceiling, arches, balconies and general simplistic elegance being all that she desired. He knew because she had told him herself. She didn't remember it- if she did, she dismissed it as a dream. Indeed, it had been a dream- a dream for them both, both spectrum of dreams being different.

_**He saw her sitting there, amid all of his subjects and servants, kneeling alone on one of the steps that ascended to his throne, gazing up at him apprehensively, watching as he parted the crowds separating them.**_

_She felt herself tremble as he came closer; there she was, standing at the entrance of a room that had been locked, locked until in a fit of frustration, she had conjured sparks and caused the lock to explode, shattering it into a million pieces. She had found the key to the door later, and now, she was trying to undo her mistake._

_**His eyes were drawn to her hands, white fingers and palms cupping a brass padlock. A **__**broken**__** brass padlock. He simpered as her cheeks flushed, and he knelt in front of her now, meeting her eyes as they bored into his.**_

_"I...I didn't mean to, sire." She pushed out the words, lying through her teeth. She had,too, meant for the door's security's destruction. She thought she had heard laughter on the other side of the door, laughter that sounded that of her mother's. Her lips trembled, and she hoped that he wouldn't punish her._

_**"Got a bit curious again, didn't we, my little changeling?" He pronounced the last word with a tone as one would to when saying "darling" or "sweet", perhaps even "love". She smiled at him bashfully, standing now. At this point she was the age of eleven, growing taller by each dream, each dream occurring on her birthday, exactly, on time, each year. Jareth sensed- in his heart of hearts, now aching- that this would be the last dream where she would act civil towards him. She followed him up to his regal chair, waiting until he lounged to lean over and laughing in his ear, "I know which room I want!"**_

_"You see, sire..." Tanya was hushed by his finger to her lips, and she was grateful, so grateful,that he didn't allow her to explain. She was eleven now; if he couldn't tell what she was thinking, then she considered him pathetic. She felt a pang of guilt in her heart as she realized that her conscious self would begin to entertain the thought of his inferiority, wondering if it would affect how she treated him within the realm he had created for her, suiting her tastes and matching his own with her choices. He now glanced at the door she had nearly broken down and then back at her. "I believe this is the room you want?" He chuckled at this._

_**He smiled at her, kissing her hand as she displayed the room to him through that special language of their's, their language that lacked words, understanding and all meaning together. "It shall be your's."**_

_She smiled at him as he bowed to her, knowing through the look in his eyes- the mouth of their little language- that she would have it. She twisted the thought on her tongue, smiling as she whispered, "It shall be mine."_

Jareth and Tanya sighed within their separate places, him out of wistfulness, her out of contentment. The goblin liege wondered what had happened after that dream, why she had started shutting him out, had refused to accept anything from him- everything but the crown he always offered at the time of dawn, when dreams parted. The little imp that had bewitched him congratulated herself on how she had walled him out, declaring independence and secrecy from her captor. It didn't take away the yearning for her mother, though. It was only her licking her wounds.

It wasn't long for Tanya to realize that she wasn't alone in her dream anymore. She saw him, and she laughed, hiding from his view as a mist of tears descended upon her eyes; she felt unfair that she kept his hopes far from his reach.

Jareth knew that he just had to find out why she continued running from him throughout all these years,those nights, those days, forcing him to run after her in her own labyrinth of emotions, of desires, of challenges. He feared her; she had created a chasm in his soul, filled with doubt and gloom. He was growing weaker; there was no way his feet could always remain so strong.

His heart leapt with pathetic hope as she revealed herself to him,stepping from behind one of her mental walls.

She saw him extend his hand to her, diadem within his reached out and clasped it in her fingers.

They stared at one another for a moment or two, silence filling Jareth with dread, filling Tanya with cruelty as she saw how he depended on her.

Flinging down the silver tiara that she had always loved, had promised to love until she could perhaps like the giver, she regarded him coldly. She said nothing, her gaze answering his plea of _I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave. _

Her mismatched eyes spat back a reply that nearly defeated the great Jareth. _I will do no such thing. I don't fear you- I'm braver than you! I don't love you- I hate you! I will not do as you say- you took me from mother! You are already my slave- You know it and you can't change it, Jareth. _With that scalding retort, she turned and retreated back into her dreaming body.


End file.
